


have a cup of cheer!

by kiichu, zecretsantamods



Category: Zero Escape (Video Games)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Christmas Fluff, Ficlet, Gen, Secret Santa, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-25
Updated: 2017-12-25
Packaged: 2019-02-20 02:42:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,008
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13137408
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kiichu/pseuds/kiichu, https://archiveofourown.org/users/zecretsantamods/pseuds/zecretsantamods
Summary: The Ambidex Game players SHIFT to an alternate world with no Radical-6, and decide to celebrate Chrsitmas a month late.





	have a cup of cheer!

**Author's Note:**

  * For [larvaloverlord](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=larvaloverlord).



> Here’s a small Bonus Round gift for my Zecret Santa, @larvaloverlord! :)

“This is… a Christmas tree?” The GAULEM’s eyes practically glowed as she studied the frame of the fir towering well above their heads. The needles were a glittering emerald, brushed with the illusion of fresh frost in the form of some simple paint. A large, red contraption hugged itself around the trunk, the holes in the mechanism showing the water that pooled inside, seeping into the tree when it needed to drink like an IV.

The tree probably looked the same as any other in the forest, but Luna concluded that this was the most beautiful one. According to her, at least,  _this one_ was the best and most perfect choice for their makeshift family.

Beside her, the other participants of the Ambidex Game stood as firmly as the tree itself, most of their faces showing a bright expression. Sigma assumed the leader position once more, positioned at the front of the group. The soft wrinkles on his face gently shifted as he smiled, eyes twinkling as he nodded.

The details of how they all made it to earth - even Luna, who shouldn’t have been able to function out of Rhizome-9 - were a complete blur. She recalled the Ambidex Game ending, all of the players surviving, and the truth being revealed to most of them. Dr. Klim’s consciousness returned to his body, and she helped him return to his room to rest. The moment she did, she felt her insides shutting down, a familiar buzzing creeping through her mind. This had happened a few times before, for maintenance and other routine reasons, but she remembered feeling quite unsure, terrified that after she was shut off that final time, she wouldn’t wake up again.

However, that couldn’t be further from the truth, as she’d somehow woken up on an earth none of them recognized - an earth that was clean and healthy.

Dr. Klim, Ms. Kurashiki, and all of the Ambidex Game players had ended up SHIFTing to a world where Radical-6 was never released, and Luna had never seen such a wondrous sight. She didn’t even know it was possible to ever see such a world, one that the AB Garden severely paled to in comparison, much less live in it. Somehow,  _somehow_ , they had brought her with them when they SHIFTed - and she didn’t ask the details.

She didn’t want to know how those that did not have a consciousness in this timeline, like Quark and K and Dio, were able to arrive here. She didn’t even bother to wonder if she was still hooked up to the same computer system - the details no longer mattered to her. All was well, and she would be a fool to question things.

Some of the consciousness the humans all SHIFTed into  _did_  exist in this world, so it was easy for them to jump. Tenmyouji, for example, had a large furnished home - the Tenmyouji from this timeline had been happy and successful, and dissolved away in favor of the newly-SHIFTed consciousness. Regardless, Tenmyouji still had a house, and let everyone stay in it, citing that he’d be “a bitter old man” otherwise.

She had been more than happy just to be here on earth with everyone, but humans always did want more than they had - not that that was a bad thing in the least for this case. Yes, now they wished to bring their happiness to another level - and take Luna with them.

They proposed they celebrate Christmas, albeit a month late.

Quark was positively ecstatic. The child clearly hadn’t celebrated a proper holiday like this before, as he lived a junk collector’s life with Tenmyouji. Luna felt a comforting sort of warmth in her chest at the thought of Quark being so happy - perhaps it was her motherly programming, but she couldn’t help but want to try in any way possible to get that boy to smile just a bit brighter.

In the end, Tenmyouji and Quark decided to dig through the attic, to see if they could find any decorations.

Clover looked rather melancholy, recollecting all the Christmas traditions she’d done as a child with her brother, but decided to help collect a tree with Alice as a way to honor him. K decided to join them, most likely the strength to carry back any tree they found outside.

Ms. Kurashiki decided to make some tea, and Phi dug through some old Christmas CD albums. Dr. Klim sat quietly, keeping an eye on Dio. Their “unwelcome guest” (Dr. Klim’s words, not Luna’s) had his wrists bound for now, looking very wide-eyed and lost in a world he’d never known. Gone was the rage and hatred he showed in the Ambidex Game, in its place a look of desolation and utter confusion. If she had a heart, the sight of him like that would have twisted it.

An hour later, the group of three had returned with a beautiful fir tree, and placed it in the center of the room in a stand filled with water.

“Luna?”

A voice snapped her out of her reminiscing, turning to glance at the others standing nearby. Everyone looked rather pleased at their find, and were looking at her expectantly.

“U-um, yes? I’m sorry, I spaced out…” she murmured, folding her hands in front of her face timidly.

Dr. Klim smiled warmly - a smile she wanted to keep on his face as long as possible - and handed her a glass star-shaped item. She held it up in front of the tree, watching the green of the needles sparkle through the clear shape of the star. The sight dazzled her, sending another spark of warmth through her circuits.

“It’s beautiful…” she whispered, still in awe.

“Isn’t it?!” Quark cried, shoving Tenmyouji aside to stand in the front of the group. “Me and Grandpa found it upstairs in the attic! I think it’s the prettiest ornament he owns!”

Ah, an ornament - that was right, according to the customs she’d read in books, these were hung from the branches of the Christmas tree. But why was she given the honor of holding Quark’s obviously favorite ornament?

“You should put it on, then,” she insisted, attempting to give it back.

“No, no,” Dr. Klim’s voice was kind, but firm - she retracted her hand, giving him a curious look. “We all agreed to let you put on the star of the tree, Luna. We’ll all put up the lights and more ornaments first, but you can place the star on at the very end to complete the look.”

Luna’s eyes glittered, her ‘heart’ thumping against her chest. The blissful, merry feeling completely overwhelmed her; was this what people meant when they talked about Christmas cheer? Was it really the time of year that brought out such sentiments, or just the selfless deeds of others that created a peaceful atmosphere?

Whatever the case, Luna felt it - she’d never felt anything like it before, and she didn’t want to ever not feel like this. Her breath caught in her throat as she stared up at Dr. Klim, a film of artificial tears pooling under her eyes.

“Thank you.  _Thank you_ ,” she breathed, stepping forward to wrap her arms around the doctor. He stiffened at her sudden touch, but ultimately relaxed and patted her head like a child. She didn’t care that she was probably staining his shirt - she was just so happy.

When she finally pulled back, she gazed up at the doctor, matching his smile with her own.  

A dry tone sounded from beside her. “Um, wow, Luna, way to thank the rest of us,” Phi muttered, and Dr. Klim shifted and gently grabbed her arm; Phi gave a surprised yelp as she was pulled in beside Luna. The two made the structure of an enclosure around Luna, making her feel like a protected child.

“Oh, oh! I want in!” Clover squealed, her pink curls bouncing as she hopped over to join them.

Alice gave a chuckle and casually strolled up to the group next, her heels clicking on the wooden floor. “I suppose there’s no reason not to. Everything seemed to work out, after all.”

Luna smiled and nodded - yes, this timeline seemed to be perfect for everyone, didn’t it? Her pulse sped up as she could feel two new pairs of arms encircle her, the two young women each giving her a wink.

“C’mon, Grandpa!” Quark cried, pushing his way into the group.

Tenmyouji gave a loud sigh. “My, my, we’re awfully huggy today, aren’t we… well, like Alice said, if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em, I guess.”

Two more bodies joined their circle, Quark’s wide smile enough to brighten everyone else’s expressions just that much more.

A muffled chuckle sounded nearby, K’s analytical tone following it. “Ah, I believe this is called a group hug, yes?”

And Dio’s rough hiss: “No shit. Like hell  _I’m_ getting in on that, though.”

“Don’t be like that, Dio - Christmas is supposed to be about love and joy, or so I’ve heard. Come now,” K said, and dragged Dio by the wrist towards the group.

“H-hey! Let me go!” Dio squirmed, trying to pry the metal fingers off him. Luna softly smiled towards him as they approached, trying to get him to relax a bit more; when the blond noticed her smile, he merely grimaced and broke eye contact, but didn’t protest anymore and let himself be placed in the circle.

K stretched his large, armored arms around the group, squishing their bodies together in a tight embrace. He was strong enough to lift everyone off the ground as well, the eyes of his mask lighting up as he merrily chuckled. Everyone else laughed, albeit a bit nervously due to the closeness (except Dio, who grumbled), but the atmosphere felt warm and inviting.

Here were a group of people that probably had never celebrated Christmas, much less together, all hugging one another like they were close.

As they parted, Ms. Kurashiki’s raspy voice sounded from behind Luna. She glanced over her shoulder to see the woman with a gentle smile of her own. “We’ve never celebrated Christmas on the moon, so you have much to learn.”

Luna softly giggled. “Yes, I suppose I do. There are so many interesting traditions around this time of year.”

Ms. Kurashiki nodded to herself, as though she was recalling her own traditions of Christmases past. “Indeed. The tree should be decorated, of course, and the star placed on top at the end. Those are all fairly popular customs, but Luna - what do you think we  _need_  to have here?”

Tilting her head, the GAULEM asked, “What do you mean, ma’am?”

Dr. Klim stepped in. “Perhaps I can clarify. I think Akane wants to know if - despite the vast amount of traditions across cultures - there’s anything that  _needs_  to be present at Christmas. In other words, if there’s something that we can’t afford to forget, no matter what we’re doing.”

“How about a gallon of eggnog…” Tenmyouji muttered, only to get elbowed by Phi.

Blinking, Luna thought about the answer for a moment, her gaze sweeping across those nearby. Nine sets of eyes stared back at her, each holding their own lifelong story.

Quark’s excitement, Tenmyouji’s joy, Clover’s enthusiasm, Alice’s satisfaction, K’s curiosity, Dio’s reluctance, Phi’s acceptance, Dr. Klim’s warmth, Ms. Kurashiki’s approval… everyone had a distinct piece of their personalities - some mixing together well, others clashing, but every piece adding something unique to the group as a whole. It was honestly amazing that they could get together like this, and choose on their own to spend time together recognizing a holiday that was a month late.

They may not feel the same, but Luna could definitely see for herself: their group had the foundations to become something much greater, much  _closer_.

So Luna answered without hesitation.

“Well, Christmas celebrations would  _need_  a family,” she murmured, feeling the smiles of the others warm her like a blanket on a cold winter night. “It’s a good thing we have one right here, isn’t it?”


End file.
